Angels Fury is beginning to demonstrate the potential Ciaron Maher’s stable had anticipated from her upon her debut.
The two-year-old filly progressed from a maiden victory at Bendigo last month to secure the Sportsbet Race Previews Handicap (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday and is now a likely candidate for a Stakes race.
Sent off as the $1.80 favourite under the guidance of apprentice jockey Jabez Johnston, Angels Fury triumphed by three-quarters-of-a-length over Portinari ($4.20), with Egyptian Dancer ($10) finishing a further 3-ΒΌ lengths behind in third.
Angels Fury has consistently been held in high regard by the Maher stable, and the daughter of Harry Angel was expected to be a contender in the significant two-year-old races earlier in the season.
The filly was widely tipped to win on debut when strongly supported in the Blue Diamond Preview at Caulfield in January, but that race proved to be a disappointing affair for the stable.
Angels Fury was subsequently spelled and underwent a careful preparation before achieving her maiden win at Bendigo on June 13. A subsequent jump-out indicated the filly was in peak condition for Saturday’s event.
Jack Turnbull, the National Assistant Trainer for Ciaron Maher Racing, commented that Angels Fury had always exhibited ‘Black Type ability’.
“Hopefully she can go beyond that,” Turnbull stated.
“It’s still very early days and she’s a work in progress, but the way she won that was quite appealing and she looked to do it pretty well.
“She’s a lot more tractable now, she’s got a huge action and a lovely way of going and she’s got gears which will go a long way.
“We’ve given her time, she’s filled out and she’s strengthened and if you look at her in the yard, she stands out quite a lot.
“She’s got all the traits. She’s got speed, she relaxes and she is sound.
“There’s a lot to like.”
Turnbull mentioned that no specific plans had been finalised beyond Saturday’s win, but there are a couple of other Caulfield engagements that might capture the stable’s interest.
One such option is the Group 3 Quezette Stakes (1100m) scheduled for August 15.
“There is five weeks to the Quezette or she could come back in two weeks for a similar race,” Turnbull advised.
“We’ll leave that up to Ciaron and the team, but it’s nice to see her repay the owners and do what we thought she could do at her first start.”
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